For just about two years, candymakers Allison and Peter Behringer have toyed with the thought of opening a restaurant in Downtown Jacksonville’s historic Seminole Constructing, property of their Sweet Pete’s candy store.
“We by no means actually needed to pull the induce. We’re not restaurateurs by trade. We’re candymakers,” Allison Behringer said.
The Behringers prepare to open up Fizzies & Fare on July 9 in the building’s vacant very first-ground cafe house.
Sweet Pete’s shared the historic three-tale construction with the Alice in Wonderland-themed 10/6 Grille from October 2019 till March 2020, when the proprietor shut it simply because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was the third cafe to operate in the space.
Allison Behringer explained they felt a void in the space at 400 N. Hogan St. and a opportunity to build a next enterprise idea.
“We’ve loved all the places to eat that have been below. We’ve collaborated with them,” she explained July 6.
The Behringers invested less than $50,000 to make cosmetic alterations to the dining and bar regions.
“There’s unquestionably a distinct power in the constructing when this space is empty and nothing’s in it,” she claimed.
“So we felt like now is our possibility to do what we had envisioned for a couple of decades.”
Functioning hours for what the Behringers contact a “sweet eating experience” will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Allison Behringer claimed Fizzies & Fare will be “a modern take on your vintage soda shop.”
The Fizzies & Fare title arrives from the 500 sodas for sale in the shop, she reported.
In advance of opening Fizzies & Fare, the Behringers improved the soda wide range from the 300 obtainable at Sweet Pete’s with a intention of 1,000.
The Fizzies & Fare menu on the Sweet Pete’s internet site lists “over-the-top” milkshakes, burgers, wings, fries, rooster salads, sandwiches, warm pet dogs and far more, which includes a vegan burger, vegan bratwurst and dairy-cost-free cheese.
“In phrases of the food stuff, we needed a thing that is uncomplicated. If you’re coming right here with your youngsters, if you’re coming in this article on a day, there is some thing for every person — uncomplicated, not a extended wait around,” she said.”
Behringer mentioned recipes contain Peter’s handmade chili for chili cheese fries and Chicago puppy the couple has built at household for a long time.
Charges get started at $5 for a wedge salad $6 for a corn canine $8 for a BLT and they rise to $13.50 for the Fizzies’ Extremely hard burger, the most costly entree on the menu. Kids’ foods are $5 and $6.
The dessert menu features ice product scoops, sundaes, floats, shakes, a banana break up and more. Coming soon are a $10 Guinness Float, Sparking Sorbet Float and Sangria Sorbet Float.
A single scoop of ice product is $3.50. Sundaes get started at $5.50 and “Crazy Shakes” are $12.
A $55 Farrell’s Zoo comprises 30 scoops of ice product and toppings, which includes animal crackers.
Fizzies & Fare will offer you table service and a put for visitors and “belly up to the bar,” she explained.
The restaurant has a bar in the principal eating area.
The Fizzies & Fare identify will come from the 500 sodas for sale in the store.
For a $300 beer, wine and/or meals acquire, persons can reserve a part of the eating place, Behringer stated. The site says one particular desk for eight to 12 individuals can be reserved.
Behringer claimed the eating space largely is walk-up support.
She mentioned the couple approached Seminole Developing proprietor JWB Serious Estate Cash LLC in April with the concept for the cafe.
Bringing a cafe back again to the area allows the Behringers to resume products and services like wine, beer buckets and appetizers with Sweet Pete’s Boozy Truffle Classes, she said.
New capabilities like big Jenga and Connect 4 video games goal to give customers a rationale to stay at the Seminole Creating and Downtown.
“People coming Downtown want to be in this article extra than 30 minutes. So when they can just take a course, take a (Sweet Pete’s) tour, sit down and eat, have a consume, they can make a day of it,” Behringer stated.
“It assists to have a thing heading on.”
Behringer mentioned utilizing the existing kitchen and Sweet Pete’s advertising and graphic layout staff diminished Fizzies & Fare’s build-out and start out-up fees.
The Behringers invested a lot less than $50,000 to make beauty variations to the eating and bar regions, she claimed.
The restaurant place earlier was Sweet Apple Cafe, MLG – Marcus Lemonis Grill and 10/6 Grille shut.
The restaurant walls are lined with soda bubble graphics and pastel accents. Sweet-colored lights and fixtures hang from the ceiling around the tables and a revamped bar.
Fizzies & Fare hired four to five personnel for the opening, like back again-of-dwelling personnel with “years of cafe experience” and Peter Behringer will run the cafe, Allison Behringer reported.
The Behringers examined the menu with its staff for the earlier two weeks and had a loved ones and pals party last weekend.
Behringer claimed Sweet Pete’s co-owner, trader and Tv fact star Marcus Lemonis, who moved the candy shop to the Seminole Constructing in July 2014, is not component of Fizzies & Fare.
Lemonis purchased the constructing and to begin with leased the cafe place to the Sweet Apple Café.
It did not reopen after the developing shut briefly in 2018 for repairs. Lemonis, dependent in Chicago, then briefly operated MLG – Marcus Lemonis Grill – in the creating.
The 10/Six Grille closed right after quite a few months.
Lemonis sold the constructing in January 2020 to Jacksonville-centered JWB Serious Estate Capital for $1.7 million.
Behringer explained sturdy gross sales at Sweet Pete’s as the pandemic eases also allowed them to test the cafe notion.
Behringer mentioned the pair hopes to expand Fizzies & Fare’s menu and running several hours as the restaurant draws in enterprise in the Downtown North Main neighborhood.
The composition is across Hogan Road from City Hall and on the block that JWB intends to redevelop with mixed-use renovations of the Baptist Conference and Federal Reserve buildings.
“We just want to just take it slow and do a couple factors truly, actually well and then go into brunch and supper.”
